Aras VPLM - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Aras VPLM?

Aras VPLM is a full-featured, business-ready product lifecycle management (PLM) software solution built on top of Autodesk® Vault. Aras VPLM extends Autodesk Vault and related engineering business processes throughout the company and supply chain, driving cross-functional collaboration enterprise-wide.

Why would my company need a PLM solution anyway?

If you don't know... then you probably don't need it. But, if your business is considering implementing a PLM system like Teamcenter® or Agile® and your company is committed to Autodesk Inventor® and / or AutoCAD®, then you might want to take a serious look at Aras VPLM. And if you're a 'PLM-newbie' and want to learn more about PLM and how it can benefit your company, you can check out our informational site on PLM. It's got a lot of info on PLM and links to other sites to help you get educated.

Aras VPLM enables you to include users company-wide in business processes and it provides out-of-the box functionality highly sought-after by Autodesk Vault users, including complete cross-discipline product structure Bill of Materials (BOM) that's Item-based and ready for release to manufacturing, as well as, comprehensive multi-CAD capabilities for all the major MCAD and EDA / ECAD applications, change management on an enterprise level, configuration management, AVL / AML, integrated project management for stage-gate processes, quality compliance and a lot more.

Why build Aras VPLM on top of Autodesk Vault?

Autodesk Vault does an outstanding job managing Inventor & AutoCAD designs, but today's global businesses need more. You need processes that extend beyond engineering throughout the company. By building Aras VPLM right on top of Vault, you get the added functionality your business needs at the enterprise level, without disrupting your CAD designers or sacrificing your investment in Autodesk Vault.

Do we have to stop using Autodesk Vault when we start using Aras VPLM?

Absolutely NOT! The whole idea behind Aras VPLM is that you keep what works — Autodesk Vault — and extend it to achieve PLM success across your business. Your CAD designers stay happy, you leverage your investment in Vault and things get a lot better in the rest of the company.

We use Autodesk CAD, but don't have Autodesk Vault. Can we still use Aras VPLM?

Of course. Now just to be clear, Aras VPLM does require Autodesk Vault because it's built on top of it, so your company can get them together.

Will we have to change how we manage our CAD design process?

With Aras VPLM, it's business as usual for CAD file management in Autodesk Vault.

Does Aras VPLM have full multi-CAD capabilities?

Absolutely. You get all the multi-CAD capabilities in Autodesk Vault including SolidWorks, Pro/E and of course AutoCAD and Inventor. And if you use other CAD applications like CATIA, NX or EDA / ECAD applications like the Cadence and Mentor Graphics products, they're available as well.

Is Aras VPLM scalable?

Aras VPLM scales seamlessly as needed from a small workgroup implementation for you and your colleagues to a global multi-site deployment for thousands of users.

Is Aras VPLM secure?

You can turn on as much security as you need to satisfy even the most demanding regulatory environments. It's a hierarchical security model with roles and groups so you can achieve as granular a level of need-to-know security as required without making life difficult for everyone.

How much customization is required to use Aras VPLM?

There are two answers to this question: "None at all" and / or "As much as you'd like". Aras VPLM includes tons of functionality that is ready to use right out of the box. And because it has a familiar look & feel and runs in a standard Web browser, users throughout the company will be up and running in no time. When it comes to customization, Aras VPLM uses the same model-based SOA framework as Aras Innovator®, enabling you to make real-time changes to business rules, forms, workflows, lifecycles and the data model without complex programming. So, you get the best of both worlds.

What kind of infrastructure do I need in order to run Aras VPLM?

You probably already have everything you need. Aras VPLM runs on the Microsoft platform, so all you need is a standard Wintel server with SQL, IIS and .NET, and end users access with an Internet Explorer browser to log in and get busy.

Is Aras VPLM available as open source like the Aras Innovator solutions?

Aras VPLM is a commercial offering (which means you buy it). We took our best open source solutions, included new out-of-the-box functionality that connects directly to Vault, and packaged it all up to create a totally new offering that's optimized for companies that run Autodesk.

What is a Subscription and why would I need one?

Aras VPLM is a commercial offering that is purchased by buying a subscription from a reseller to get access to the solution with a series of ongoing benefits as well. With a subscription your company gets the VPLM solution along with access to new releases, service packs, live support, administrative utilities, documentation and much more. There are no up-front license fees so it's a really simple and affordable way to buy software.

How is a Subscription priced?

Aras VPLM subscriptions are based on floating users (i.e. concurrent users) unlike any other major PLM system on the market.

How is Aras VPLM different than Aras Innovator?

Aras VPLM is a commercial offering that provides pre-configured, out of the box functionality incorporated with Autodesk Vault. While Aras Innovator offers the same PLM features, it is not pre-configured for the Autodesk environment with data and process integration to Vault.

How is Aras VPLM different than Autodesk PLM 360?

Aras VPLM runs on your servers on your network as opposed to being Cloud-based. That means for example that Aras VPLM is easy to connect to your Active Directory for single sign-on which is not currently possible with PLM 360. Aras VPLM also includes out-of-the-box comprehensive product structure Bill of Materials functionality for cross-discipline configuration management of mechanical, electrical, electronics, software, firmware and manually added items along with complete multi-CAD integrations for systems like CATIA, NX, Allegro, OrCAD, PADS, DxDesigner, Zuken and more.

How do I get Aras VPLM?

Aras VPLM is available exclusively through select resellers. For more information please contact us.